The republican defeat had terrible consequences for Catalonia, comparable only to the defeat of 1714. A significant part of the Catalan population (the political class, the intelligentsia, a large number of union officials and leaders and activists in the worker and republican parties) had to go into exile. At home, the Francoist army of occupation and the leaders of the "Nuevo Estado" (New State) began to seek revenge. The repression was extremely severe. All the Catalan symbols were harshly suppressed while a new set of fascistic imperial symbols was imposed. Only the firm will of most of the Catalan population and the bold resistance of a minority stopped Francoism from reaching its goal.